The new opening of American Idolsays it all. I’m not sure what exactly. But I suspect it’s profound.

To the beat of the familiar theme song, and the Los Angeles skyline in the background, a bright orange laser beam comes straight down from the sky and seemingly explodes the Idol stage.

It’s clearly a metaphor. They’re “blowing things up” and starting over. New judges. Changes to the age limit. And other twists coming in the weeks ahead.

That’s what I think they’re going for. But the image of the beam also reminds of of the iconic scene from Independence Day where the aliens blow up the White House. Although we humans prevailed later, the White House was never the same.

Will Season 10 of American Idol be a new beginning? Or the beginning of the end. That’s the question that’ll be answered slowly in the months ahead. Ratings are definitely down from last season’s premiere week: Down 18% Wednesday night; Down 24% last night.

That said: I love Steven Tyler! “Shit fire and save matches, fuck the duck and see what hatches!” Did Steven just say that? He sure did. And it’s not just the words, but the way he said it–with all the rock swagger you’d expect. Steven showed up ready to put on a show, singing along with some contestants, banging the table for percussion with others. He’s a joy to watch.

But there’s no getting around it for me. The show feels a little “rootless” without Simon Cowell. Kinda like, what’s the point of all this? WWST. “What Would Simon Think?”

I wasn’t sure if I was gonna blog about the show this season. I’m still not. But here’s one. What did you think of this week’s shows?